Roller-bearing center plate.



J. C. BARBER.

ROLLER BEARING CENTER PLATE.' APPLICATION FILED DE01?, 1909.

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lll'OI-III CIBARBER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO STANDARD CAR TRUCK COMPANY, OE CHICAGO, IBIlINOIS, A CORPORATION 0F NEW JERSEY.

ROLLER-BEARING CENTER PLATE.

specification of Letters raient.

Patented Sept. 17,1912.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOHN C. BARBER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chi'- cago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented cert-ain new and use.- ful Improvements in Roller-Bearing Center Plates; and I do hereby declare the 'following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make' and use the same.

My present invention has for its object to provide an improved roller-equipped center bearin forcars and other similaruses and, to this end, the invention consists of the 'novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described and defined in the' claims.

In a sense, this invention is in the nature of an improvement o-n the form of roller retaining device disclosed in the prior patent to Barber and Webb, No. 905,491, of date December 1, 1908. y

In the accompanying drawings which illustra-te the improved center bearing, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, Figures 1 and 2 are` vertical sections, with some part-s broken away and some parts removed, taken centrally through the improved center bearing-g'fFig. 3 is a horizontal section taken through the center bearing approximately on the line ma :v3 of Fig. 1, some parts being removed; Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view 1n elevation, showing a portion of the upper center bearing plate; Fig. 5 is afragmentary view corresponding in the line of its section to Fig. 1, but showing the so-called retaining key of the roller retaining devicel applied, but before it has been interlocked, to the retaining flange of the upper bearing plate; Figs. G, 7 and 8 are views in side elevation, end elevation and in'plan, showing the retaining key removed from working position.

Of vthe parts of the center bearing, the numeral l represents the lower bearing plate which is adapted to be secured to-the bolster or other part of a car truck." The, numeral 2 represents thel upper bearing plate which is adapted to" be secured to the body bolster, not shownfof the car. These two plates have telesooping hubs' ofthe proper construction to permit of the application of the usual king pin, not shown.

The numeral 3 represents the conical. rollers which are radially disposed between the tread surfaces of the two plates. The upper plate isprovided with an outer depending flange 4t properly disposed to aifo-rd an abutment for the outer or large ends of the rollers 3. The hub of the upper plate 2 is provided with an outwardly extended horizontal roller retaining flange 5 .which underre'aches the inner ends of the rollers 3 when the latter are in working position. The lower plate 1 is so constructed that, when 'the parts are in working position, the face of the retaining flange 5 will be approximately on the level or slightly below the inner edge of the raised tread surface of the lower plate. The upper outer edge of the retaining Harige 5 is provided, at one point, with a segmental notch 6 of such size that, when a roller is moved into alinement therewith, the said roller will be permitted to drop down into an angular position, shown i by dotted lines in Fig. 2, with the upper surface of its outer end on a line whichfextends below the lower edge of the thrust iange 4. This permits the rollers, one at a time, to be inserted into operative posit-ion in respect to the upper bearing plate or to be removed one at a time therefrom. The main body portion of the retaining flange 5 underlaps the inner ends of the rollers to such an extent that the rollers'cannot drop out of the annular pockets provided therefor.

in the upper bearing plate, except when brought to registration with the said entrance notch 6.

To hold the rollers interlocked to the upl per bearing plate with freedom for rotary movements and for traveling movements in respect to the said bearing plate, a so-called retaining key is secured in the said entrance passage after the rollers have all been inserted. This retaining key 7 is preferably stamped from sheet metal and its main body portion is flat, but, at its outer end, it is provided with a down-turned segmental head flange 8 that is adapted to fit the segment-al entrance notch 6. The inner end of this key 7 is reduced to form a bendable portion adapted to be passed through a slot 10 formed in the hub of the upper bearing plate and then to be bent upward into a recessy 11 formed in the interior of the said hub. The shoulders at the junction of the tail 9With the main body portion of the retaining key will permit the endwise movement of the latter in a direction toward the axis of the center bearing and will also cooperate with the upwardly bent end of the said tail to securely hold the key in working position with its segmental head 8 properly seated in the segmental entrance notch 6 and with the upper surface ofA the body portion of the said key in position to complete or make continuous the roller retaining surface ofthe retaining flange 5.

The roller retaining key, when applied as above stated, will itself be securely held in working position and will hold the rollers against separation ,from the upper bearing plate. lThe securing of the retainingkey in position is also, as is evident, accomlished Without the use of a rivet or a bolt. When it is necessary to remove the rollers from the'center bea-ring plate to which they are int-erlocked, it is only necessary to straighten out the tail portion .9 of the retaining key 7. The construction is, therefore, not only highly efficient and` capable of easy application and removal, but is of small cost. Furthermore, the segmental and tapered roller entrance notch or channelf lprovides a .cut of the smallest possible dimensions in the roller retainin'gvlange 5.

Whatlclaimis: 1. Av center bearing comprising lower and upper plates and rollers radially disposed between said plates, one of the said plates having a thrust flange engagingthe outer ends of the said rollers and a retaining ange projecting from its hub and overlapping the inner ends of said rollers, the said retaining flange having a roller entrance notch and the hub of said plate having a radial perforation alined with said entrance notch, and a roller retaining key normally seated in said entrance notch and having an inner end passed through the peroration in said hub and-bent to lock said key in working position, substantially as described.

2. A center bearing comprising lower and upper plates and rollers radially disposed between said plates, one of said plates having a thrust fiange engageable with the outer ends of said rollers and a retaining flange projecting from its hub portion and overlapping the inner ends of 'said rollers, said'retaining flange having a tapered roller entrance notch and the'hub of' said'plate having a' radial perforation alined with said notch and 4terminating in a depression formed on the inner surface .of said hub, in combination with anapproximately flat roller retaining key havingv a downwardly extended head engaging said notch and hav,- ing perforation of said hub and bent laterally `and seated in the depression-formed in said hub at the inner'extremityof the said perforation, substantially as described.

a reduced inner end passed through the In testimony' whereof I aihx'my signature 70 in presence of .two witnesses. v JOHN lC. BARBER i Witnesses: Y' 4 LEE W. BARBER, y A. M. LOVE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by acclressng'tliel Gonimssipner of Patente. 1

' Washington, D. G. f 

